Police detain 29 over cash safe swept away by floodwaters in Nepal
A safe reportedly swept away from Rasuwa was found near the Trishuli River, with police recovering more than Rs 92 lakh and investigating the cash's origin
Floodwaters in Nepal have left behind an unusual crime after a cash safe swept away by the floods was found near a river, with police detaining 29 people over the alleged theft of money from inside it.
The safe was reportedly swept away recently from the Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa. NDTV reported that it was later found along the Trishuli River near Belkhukhola in Galchhi Rural Municipality-4, Dhading
The report further stated that police in Dhading were informed that locals had broken open the safe and removed the cash stored inside. A police team was sent to the location soon after.
Police recover Rs 92 lakh
According to Dhading Police, during the initial search, 29 people were detained, and Rs 92,68,505 were recovered from their possession.
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Elaborating further, police said that most of those detained are residents of Mastar in Galchhi-4. Others are from Adamghat in Galchhi-6 and Adamtar in Siddhalek-7. Some of the detainees originally belong to Chitwan and Parsa but are currently living in Dhading.
According to the investigators, the focus of the probe has now shifted to tracing the origin of the cash. They further stated that they are also checking whether more people were involved in the incident.
Nepal flood toll rises
Meanwhile, Nepal's disaster authority on Saturday (August 29) revised its figures from the floods, reporting that 2,426 people are now missing. The confirmed death toll has also risen to 626.
Also Read: Nepal journalist on the spot: 'The situation now is worse than what I saw earlier'
The latest figures put the number of missing Nepalis at 1,924, up from the figure reported on Friday (August 28) night. The number of foreign nationals still unaccounted for remained at 517, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
The revised figures were released three days after floods swept through parts of Nepal. Search and rescue operations were still underway.